(Hell Fire)

"Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord." Claude finished grace and began his meal.

Phoebus sat eating his peas, pushing them from one side of his plate to the other while quietly looking up at his parents and older brother occasionally to make sure that the silence hadn't swallowed them all whole.

He picked at the colorless meat before clearing his throat.

"May I be excused?" He asked

"You've barely touched your food." his mother didn't look up from her plate.

"Mother," Claude dabbed his lips with his napkin "I'd like to be excused as well. Finals are this week and we should really get a jump on studying."

"Claude," the woman turned to her son "You look pale, are you ill?"

"Not at all, just a tad stressed. I'll be fine, I just need to study." He smiled at his mothers' concern.

"Yeah," Phoebus said "Me too. Studying that is." He sputtered.

Their father sighed to himself.

"Boys, you're excused, but I expect a full report of your studies before lights out." he said before putting a sliver of the mystery meat into his mouth.

"Thank you, father." Claude smiled as he rose from his chair.

"Yeah, thanks." Phoebus followed him briskly down the hallway, up the stairs and into their shared room.

"How do you do that?" Phoebus smirked at his brother as he shut the door.

"I don't have to lie. It comes off more convincing because I do have to study. Where as you, just want to sneak out to see Izzy."

"Oh don't be such a drag Claudie!" A feminine voice could be heard from out the window. "You're always invited."

"As if I'd be caught dead sneaking out to associate with the likes of Esmeralda Barlett" In spite of the disdain in his voice he held out his hand to pull the girl out of the tree and through the window.

"Oh come on Claudie," The girl said as she found her feet on their bedroom floor "We've been doing this since we were like ten, why the sudden 'the Esmeralda Barlett' act lately?"

"I told you that he wasn't going to like the whole 'pagan' thing, Izzy." Phoebus rolled his eyes, a habit Claude particularly detested.

"You hate me because I'm pagan?" Izzy snapped. "Isn't that like against that whole Catholicism 'no judging' thing?"

"I don't hate anyone, esme'" he sighed as he swept her raven hair out of her face, his fingers lingered a second longer than they should have, her skin felt hot and sinful to his touch. "I just can't associate with someone who so freely accepts her place in hell, even though it would be so easy to repent and let things go back to the way they used to be."

"That's our Claudie," Izzy smirked as she took his hand from her face and holding it for a moment before releasing him "The first born son to the head of the church and his lovely wife. How touching, he tries so hard to save us all from the fires of this world, and the next."

Claude did his best not to look slightly amused. He let his eyes slip into a disgusted scowl.

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?" Claude couldn't help but look at Izzy, her jeans were too tight as usual and her top hung lower on her breast than a young ladies should at only 16. Sinister. He should have seen her becoming the witch she is today. His thoughts lingered on her unnaturally green eyes and her obscenely prominent curves, his eyes searched for a reason for her exposed collar bones and her beckoning hips.

"Yeah, I guess so." Izzy looked disappointed, but as always, before she and Phoebus left the Frollo house she was sure to take Claude into her arms. She held her once best friend gingerly as she tried to hold back the tears. "Its not too late to come with us, we're going to get some burritos and study for finals. I know you love burritos." She pressed her head into his chest as he did his best not to return her embrace. It was all he could do to not throw his arms around her and beg her to repent, he just stood there smelling the lavender in her hair.

"I already ate, and I am more than content staying here to study, not that I believe for a moment you'll be studying, thank you." He said as he removed her from his torso.

"Alright.." Phoebus was already on his way out the window, "If you change your mind you know where we'll be."

"I won't. Good bye, Esmeralda."

But she was already gone. Claude couldn't bear to stand and watch Phoebus and Izzy run down the suburban streets of their childhood.

Things had changed. Esmeralda wasn't the little girl she used to be, she was a grown sinner, dragging his baby brother down her path. Claude tried to wrap himself in his history text book, to no avail. His thoughts were all but consumed with the thought of the last embrace

Soooo... I guess this is the opening to my new thing...

The Hunchback.

A tale of two brothers.

Review and shit.

Hell Fire OUT!

MarniXManson